Università Roma Tre

The Earth-atmosphere system

Composition and structure.
Radiative equilibrium of the Earth.
The global energy budget.

Hydrostatic equilibrium

Hydrostatic balance.
Stratification.
Lagrangian interpretation of stratification.

Static stability

Stability categories.
Implications for vertical motion.
Stabilizing and destabilizing influences.
Turbulent dispersion.

Radiative transfer

Description of radiative transfer.
Absorption characteristics of gases.
Thermal equilibrium.
The greenhouse effect.

Large-scale motion

Geostrophic equilibrium.
Vertical shear of the geostrophic wind.
Frictional geostrophic motion.
Curvilinear motion.
Weakly divergent motion.

Thermodynamics of gases

Thermodynamic concepts.
Adiabatic processes.
Diabatic processes.

Heterogeneous systems

Chemical equilibrium.
Fundamental relations for a multi-component system.
Equilibrium phase transformations.

Transformations of moist air

Implications for the distribution of water vapor.
Thermodynamic behaviour accompanying vertical motion.
The pseudo-adiabatic chart.

Atmospheric motion and equations

Kinematics of fluid motion.
Reynold’s transport theorem.
Conservation of mass.
The momentum budget.

The planetary boundary layer

Description of turbulence.
Structure of the boundary layer.
Ekman pumping.

Wave propagation

Acoustic waves.
Buoyancy waves.
The Lamb wave.
Rossby waves.
Wave absorption.

Dynamic stability

Inertial stability.
Shear stability.
The Eady model.

Influence of the Ocean

Composition and structure.
Role in the heat budget.
Role in the carbon cycle.
The wind-driven circulation.
The buoyancy-driven circulation.
Interannual changes.

Salby M.L. - Physics of the Atmosphere and Climate. Cambridge University Press, 2012 - ISBN:9780521767187

Vallis G.K. - Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics. Cambridge University Press, 2006 - ISBN:9780521849692